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Automatic Standby Power

A standby power system is designed to provide electrical power during power interruptions from the power company.

This differs from a primary power system which is a generator designed to run for unlimited time periods and be the main source of electricity. These are heavy duty larger power systems run by diesel engines or gas turbines usually located in remote locations.

What is Standby Power?

A standby generator is a device about the size and of a large air conditioning unit. It is permanently installed outside your home and requires no action from you to operate. It continually monitors the flow of electricity into your home and when the flow stops, the standby generator starts up and supplies power to your entire home or the key circuits on your load plan. When the power returns from the power company, the standby generator shuts off and reconnects the public power supply to your house. The operation of a standby generator is fully automatic. When the power situation is normal, the standby generator automatically exercises itself every week by starting itself up and running for a few minutes. An internal self-test is performed and all moving parts lubricated. The weekly exercise cycle does not shut off power from the power company.

What is a Standby Generator?

A generator is a device that changes mechanical energy into electrical energy. The power that is produced is 110/240 volts 60 cycles AC that is identical to that which you get from the power company.

Standby generators have clean burning internal combustion engines that run the generators. The engines are either air cooled or liquid cooled and both have distinct advantages. Air cooled engines are more economical to initially purchase, have fewer moving parts, but are not as quiet as liquid cooled engines. Liquid cooled engines are better for higher power requirements and for larger homes and businesses. Both have industrial overhead valve engines with long service lives and are made specifically to operate generators.

Fuel Supply

Gasoline is the least desirable type fuel for emergency power. It can be dangerous if mishandled and storing in adequate supply creates legal, contamination, shelf life, and safety issues. Then there are the gas lines after an outage assuming you can find an open station.

Diesel is the next desirable fuel. For home use, however, diesel has the disadvantage of degrading in storage due to microbial growth in the tanks. And like gasoline, having an adequate supply also requires storage, with the same contamination and legal issues.

Natural gas is the next best fuel for standby power systems. The advantage of natural gas is that it provides a virtually unlimited supply of fuel. The gas company installs piping from the utility gas line to your generator. The generator then uses the same gas that is being used by your home. here on the Florida east Coast, Florida City gas has never turned off the flow of gas. Not so in other parts of the nation, especially areas where earthquakes happen. In parts of the nation with unstable topography, gas suppliers will turn off the gas to prevent ruptured gas lines from becoming fire hazards.

Liquid Propane (LP) is the best option for standby generators. Propane is delivered to your generator from your own underground fuel tank and you are completely independent from municipal supply interruptions. Some generators supply 5-10% more wattage using propane. Propane is safe and has no environmental issues. A 500 gallon tank of propane can run a 16-22 kW generator for approximately a week of continuous operation. And when it comes time to refuel your tank, the propane dealer delivers the fuel to your home.

Future Technologies in Standby Power

Within the next two decades, breakthroughs will be made in the field of fuel cell standby power. The fuel cell was developed by NASA for space vehicles to produce electricity. A traditional fuel cell uses liquid hydrogen, which passes through its system and by the process of the fuel cell produces electrical power with no moving parts. The byproducts of combustion from a fuel cell are water and CO2 and are therefore highly desirable from an environmental standpoint.

Experimental fuel cells are being tested that can operate on propane or natural gas. At present the fuel cell is years away even after the technology for home use is perfected. In the distant future, we see homes with low voltage high efficiency appliances mated with hybrid power systems employing combinations of technologies. This will make it possible to become completely independent of public power in some parts of the country.

Conclusions

There's no reason to be afraid of hurricanes - just be prepared.

We live on a planet that is always changing. Mother nature is constantly cooking up surprises for us and no part of our nation is exempt from problems. The West Coast has earthquakes, mud slides, forest fires and the tsunami threat. The Southwest has droughts, flash floods, water shortages, heat emergencies and tornadoes. The Northeast has blizzards, snow, freezing rain, and ice storms, which clog highways, close airports, and paralyze the entire region. Here in the south we have none of the above, but when Mother Nature saw how easy we were getting off, we got the hurricanes. It is essential to understand that these storms should certainly be respected, but not feared. With a home built in the last ten to twenty years, storm shutters, the proper emergency supplies, heeding emergency managers, and a standby power system, the hurricane factor of living in Florida is virtually eliminated. A horrendous, stress filled experience is reduced from a catastrophe to an inconvenience.

The Power to Be Safe

Don't you want the peace of mind in knowing that your family or business is protected with a standby power system? Call us today and we'll come out and advise you on the perfect system for your needs and budget. Obtaining the permits and accomplishing all the procedures for installing a standby power system is fairly complicated. It can take up to 30 days, so don't delay. Hurricane season will be here before you know it.